Student - Kevin

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Law (LLB Hons)

Why did you apply to Insights?

I applied to the Insights Programme so that I could learn what it was like to work in a professional workspace and how to interact in that job space and how to approach job hunting in that sector.

Describe your Insights experience

We had three sessions with the Insights team to prepare for the visits.

Our Immersion Week started on Monday with a workshop about LinkedIn and how to use it.

Tuesday was a visit to Global Radio with alumni host Kieran where we learned about the company, what Kieran's role in it was, and then he brought along colleagues from different departments to discuss what their roles were and how the all interlinked.  We were then taken on a tour of the studios and met an on air presenter and a producer of the show.

Wednesday was then filled with different workshops on identifying the three sectors of work and how to apply for roles.

Thursday, I had my next visit to Lloyd's bank where we met alumni host Beth and her colleague who described their roles, how they got there and the bridge from academic studies to the real working world.  That evening we had a networking event with all the alumni host and other local alumni. This was good as it helped with networking and with potential issues of imposter syndrome which may occur later.

Finally on the Friday, we had two talks with financial institutions, who gave talks on their business, how they got there, graduate programmes, jumps from different careers and sectors as well.

Was the experience what you had expected or different? 

The experience was different from what I was expecting as going into it, I was imagining the stereotypical office environment in that it was quiet, formal where everyone kept to themselves, it was open and the people were all forthcoming.

What was it like meeting alumni?

The alumni I met, whether online or in person, were open, engaging and completely willing to go into a conversation on a topic you asked them. They gave varying advice but each piece was helpful and even in my own case where I could not use the specific advice given about a sector or topic, they were quick to come up with another equally good piece of advice.

What did you learn from talking to the alumni?

From speaking to the alumni, I can definitely say, I have grown more assured of myself. I have realised that public speaking or speaking to anyone for advice, makes everyone uneasy and if you can be aware of that you can take steps to overcome your hesitation.

How have you benefited from participating in Insights?

With regard to a main benefit, I would say the team working and brainstorming sessions where you sit and go over what to ask how to go about it were really helpful and will benefit in later life, as personally starting a conversation can be the hardest topic for me.

What will you do now as a result of having taken part?

I now have a LinkedIn profile that I will keep on top of and use to enhance my career prospects and networking skills to put myself forward for opportunities I may find.